Underground
by I can never tell
Summary: DARK PERCY - HURT - HEARTBREAK - HOPE and above all else an adventure only a Demigod would embark on.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N I should have waited to publish this. I should have been a good little writer and taken the time to go over it again and again. Re-write it a thousand different ways. Well it seems I'm not a well behaved writer because I am too excited to let this cook any longer. Sorry if it's a bit raw, there will definitely be more to follow. Disclaimer: I don't own them - duh.**

Piper struggled to make it back to the ship. Her head was bleeding and her dislocated shoulder throbbed. The cold air whipped her hair, she was shivering. Freezing. Coming to the top of the hill she could see the Argo II in the harbor below. She sobbed with relief and jogged as fast as she could down the slope. Her body was stiff and sore. Her lip was split and her eyes tearing up. She reached the boardwalk. The sound of the light waves was music to her ears. Her toe caught on a loose board and she tripped falling and scraping her palms.

"Piper?" She looked up when she heard her name. Jason stood at the railing looking down at her. Her heart jumped. Jason ran down the dock, Piper pulled herself to her feet. He collided with her, his arms wrapped around her. He held her so tight. Piper started laughing, relief, pain, everything she was feeling and all she could do was laugh. "What happened to you?" Jason said softly in her ear. Her knees went weak and she slid down onto the ground. Jason kneeled next to her. She felt tears running down her face. Her laughter turned to sobbing, heart breaking sounds ripped through her. Jason pulled her into his chest. With her good hand she gripped his shirt.

"I tried," her voice was almost inaudible.

"Where's Annabeth?" Jason asked. A pit had formed in his stomach.

"I couldn't hold on. I tried," she choked on tears. "She made me leave her. She made me." She wrapped her arm around Jason's neck clinging for dear life. "Jason," she sobbed. "He's going to kill me. Percy's going to kill me." Jason's brain was buzzing, his insides felt like jello.

"It's going to be ok. We'll figure it out, we always do." Jason wrapped his arms under Piper and scooped her up. He carried her onto the ship. Leo walked out of the engine room, bumping right into them.

"Piper?" He looked at her limp body in Jason's arms. "Wha-" He stammered, his eyes wide.

"Shh," Jason looked around. "Where's Percy?"

"Still underwater, said something about water nymphs."

"Ok. Come on I'm going to need your help." Jason turned and continued walking toward the medbay. Leo followed,

"Wait! What's going on? Where's Annabeth?" Jason sent him a look that made his stomach drop through the floor. "Oh. Oh man…" He muttered realizing the severity of the situation.

"No one finds out. Not yet," Jason said.

"Are you crazy? We can't keep this a secret!" They entered the med bay. Jason laid Piper down gently on a bed. She groaned softly but her eyes stayed closed. Leo grabbed his shoulder turning him around, "when the others find out… This is beyond not good. Percy, he's going to freak!"

"You don't think I know that!" Jason hissed. Leo flinched. "Sorry. I just need a minute to figure this out." Leo swallowed,

"What about Annabeth? Are we preparing a search party, or a burial ceremony?" Jason rubbed his eyes,

"gods… I don't know." Leo's legs were wobbly. His hands started to heat up, like they did when he was scared.

"It's Annabeth," he said. "She can't be… Can she?" He asked quietly.

"We won't know anything until Piper wakes up." Jason got a damp cloth and a glass of nectar. "One problem at a time." Leo collapsed in a chair against the wall. His whole body felt shaky. They must have sat like that, in silence, for hours. Piper groaned softly; Both boys looked up at her. "Pipes?" Jason asked. She turned her face and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the wall a dazed expression on her face. Once she recognized where she was she gasped and sat straight up. "Easy," Jason murmured. The color had returned to her face and her head and shoulder were almost completely healed. "Piper we need to know what happened." Piper took a deep breath,

"Everything was ok. We found the temple and were in the middle of packing up the scrolls when we were ambushed. We weren't expecting them, horrible, creatures. They were huge, I don't even know what to call them. They didn't have eyes only gaping mouths full of teeth. They burrowed up through the ground like worms. We held them off but more and more were coming. We were going to run, we had to," she paused. "One of them grabbed Annabeth's leg. It started dragging her down its burrow. I managed to grab her arm, that's how I dislocated my shoulder, but the thing wouldn't let go." Her voice cracked. " I tried to hold on, but it was so strong. It was going to pull both of us in. She told me to let go, she said I had to get the scrolls back. I wasn't going to, but she was convinced it was the only option. She said it would be ok."

"You let go?" Jason asked. Piper nodded,

"I didn't know what else I could do." Leo spoke up for the first time,

"So Annabeth's in the tunnels?" Piper's eyes watered.

"That's good, that we can work with!" Leo said gaining excitement. "I'll gather the search party." He disappeared up the stairs. Jason knew he should be more hopeful, but looking at Piper something held him back from relief.

"Do you think we'll find anything if we go down in those tunnels?"

"She didn't have a weapon and those things, Jason, I don't know how anyone could survive down there." Jason felt it again, the ice water being poured down his throat. His eyes stung it felt like something was gnawing through his stomach. Leo's voice came over the intercom,

"Everyone upstairs now!"

Jason and Piper met Leo upstairs. Piper sat down quietly. Jason pulled Leo over to the side,

"No Percy yet?" Leo shook his head. Hazel and Frank wandered in. When Hazel saw Piper she smiled,

"You're back!" She ran and wrapped her arms around Piper. Piper hugged her back meekly.

"Where's Annabeth?" Frank asked. Jason set his jaw,

"That's what we need to talk about." the tone he used conveyed destruction.

"We were ambushed," Piper said weakly. "I tried to save her, but…"

"Oh gods, no," Hazel covered her mouth and sank into the chair next to Piper. Frank looked at them stunned.

"She's gone?" Jason didn't quite meet his eye. Silent tears ran down Hazel's cheeks.

"No guys it's ok!" Leo said, hope dripping in his voice. "We can find her, save her!" He looked around at their faces, fear, sadness. "We can save her," he said again quietly. Why weren't they backing him up? He could feel doubt creep in the back of his mind.

"Percy doesn't know." Hazel said. "How are we going to tell him?" Her words hit the room like a brick.

"I'll tell him," Jason said.

"No," Piper said. "I have to."

"Pipes…"

"I promised." They were interrupted by the sound of something hitting the deck. Jason walked out to greet a very exhausted looking Percy.

"How'd it go?" He asked, trying to sound normal. Percy smiled at him,

"It took forever but I managed to get at least directions out of them. Lets just say those nymphs were not in a helping mood." He walked across the deck stopping, he bent down and whipped somethings off the floor with his fingers.

"Blood?" He asked. "What happened? Was someone hurt?" He turned to Jason.

"Must have been Piper. She was pretty banged up when she came in."

"They're back?" Percy asked. His eyes lit up, all traces of fatigue gone. He took off toward the mess hall.

"Percy wait!" Jason called after him. Percy strolled to the doorway practically glowing. Jason caught up to him.

"When did they get in? Someone should have signaled me or…" His voice trailed off as he entered the room. He looked at each of them. Frank crumpled in a corner, Hazel's tears, pipers dead expression, Leo's furrowed brow. His eyes kept looking but Annabeth wasn't here. His stomach dropped. _No_ , he thought. His breath became shallow, panic setting in. He turned on Jason, " where is she," he growled. Jason flailed for words.

"Percy…" Jason started.

"No. Stop talking," Percy felt like his insides were twisting. He took a step and another his brain wasn't working. He braced against the back of a chair. _She's ok, she's ok._ He desperately tried to convince himself. The others looked at each other, all unsure of what to say.

"I'm so sorry," Piper said. His head snapped up. He glared at her, the room dropped 10 degrees. She wouldn't meet his eyes. The ship rumbled, pipes straining. Leo looked at the walls, _oh boy,_ he thought, _here we go again._

"What exactly are you telling me," his voice was quiet, but Piper wanted to flee. She took a shaky breath and retold the events of their mission. Percy didn't move, he didn't say anything. Nothing exploded, Jason took that as a good sign. Piper got up from her seat, a tear ran down her cheek. She walked over next to him,

"There wasn't anything I could do." Anger swelled off him.

"Nothing you could do?" he said quietly. "Nothing you could do?" His voice rose, shouting. He lunged pinning her against the wall, she gasped. "You were her partner! It was your job to keep her safe!"

"Hey!" Jason pulled on Percy's shoulder, yanking him off Piper. Jason struggled to keep Percy restrained.

"You abandoned her! This is all your fault!" Piper stood there a deer in headlights. All at once every pipe in the ship burst. Water ran down the walls, puddled at their feet.

"She wanted me to tell you she loved you," Piper said meekly.

"What are we going to do without her? What am I going to do-" Percy's voice broke. He shook Jason off his shoulders. His eyes were a storm, the ship groaned. Outside the waves picked up, smashing against them. Wind whipped against the the Windows, they shook threatening to break.

"It should have been you," he growled before storming out of the room. Everyone sat there in a daze. The window cracked, a small stream of water squirted through. Leo jumped to his feet,

"He's going to capsize us!" He ran to the control room. Jason turned and ran up to the deck. Percy was standing in the middle, hands clenched at his sides. His eyes were closed tightly, the storm growing ever powerful. A wave crashed over the side of the ship and threatened to take Jason out to sea.

"Percy!" He yelled. The wind whipped up around him, a crack of thunder sounded overhead. Jason's heart skipped. This was the making of something bigger than a storm. He made his way slowly to his friend, fighting the rain and wind. "Please!" He shouted. "I know how you must feel, but this is out of control!" Percy's eyes snapped open, they were unrecognizable. He looked like something Jason would never want to face.

"You know how I feel? You could never understand! I can't breath!" Pain filled his voice.

"You're right, I don't know what you're feeling but I do know one thing. This!" He gestured to the storm, "isn't going to bring her back."

"Just get out of here!" Percy screamed. "Leave me alone!" Percy shook his head, the rainwater doused his hair, he wasn't even attempting to stay dry.

"She wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want you falling apart like this."

"I said leave me alone!" Percy bellowed, he thrust out his hand and a gust of rain knocked Jason fourteen feet through the air. Percy collapsed onto his knees. He turned his face to the sky and screamed. Waves crashed into each other, random whirlpools formed alongside them, a twister of water swirled around the ship. The crew bunkered down below deck. Jason looked at him, he saw him crumbling. Tears freely trailed down Percy's face. This, watching Percy break, was more terrifying than any storm could ever be. "You can't take her from me!" He screamed at the sky, "you've taken everything from me!" He fell on to his arms, "you can't have her too, please." He pleaded.

Percy eventually exhausted himself. He passed out, the storm slowly receded. Leo did his best to save the ship, the others helped out where they could. Percy was moved to his bunk and he slept the whole day. His dreams were a jumble of thoughts before something came through clear.

He saw Annabeth. She was holding up the sky, hunched under its weight. It looked like the dream he had years ago.

"Seaweed brain," she said. "Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" Percy's heart thumped in his chest.

"Really I'm offended! What was all that you said about 'never betting against annabeth?'" Percy looked at her stunned. She rolled her eyes, "I'm not dead you idiot!" She said. She stepped out from under the weight of the sky. She glided over to him. "Percy..." She trailed off. Suddenly her eyes widened she grabbed his arms clawing at him. "Help me! Find me!" The background melted and they were underground. Annabeth was dirty, bleeding. Her eyes were wide with panic. "Find me!" She screamed at him, "find me!" Blood poured down her face from an invisible wound it ran in her eyes and mouth but she just kept shouting find me, find me. Percy tried to pull away but he couldn't move. Her fingernails trailed long gashed down his arms. In the background he saw the monsters approaching, towering over the two of them. "Find me!" The beast opened its mouth and swallowed them whole.

Percy gasped awake. He sat up realizing he was in his bunk. "She's alive," he muttered. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "She's alive!" A warmth spread through his chest. He jumped to his feet and almost immediately fell on his face. His legs felt like soft serve. He stood, using the wall for support. He inched his way out of his room. His whole body was trembling, he was beyond exhausted. It was dark out, the moon cast a faint light over the ship. He heard voices and followed them to the mess hall. Jason and Hazel were sitting at the table, Hazel had a warm drink. They both jumped when they noticed him,

"Gods Percy," Jason mumbled. He regained his composer and looked closer at his friend. "Didn't think you'd be up so soon."

"How are you feeling?" Hazel asked timidly. Percy mouth twitched.

"She's not dead," he said, matter of factly. Hazel's face seemed to melt, depression settling over her features, "She's not."

"Percy…" Jason trailed off.

"No listen," Percy took a step closer. "I saw her. She told me herself." Jason looked at him sadly. Percy's eyes were excited and completely crazy looking.

"You've been asleep. It was just a dream."

"I know it was a dream but she was there! She's just in the tunnels! We have to start searching-"

"Percy," Jason cut him off. "Annabeth's gone."

"You're not hearing me," Percy was getting frustrated. "She kept saying find me, find me. She's trapped down there, but she's alive!" He looked at them hope radiated off him.

"Maybe you should sit down," Hazel suggested. "Get something to eat?"

"I don't need food, what I need is Annabeth!" Percy's legs were shaking, threatening to give out.

"We can't just leave her down there, we have to do something!"

"Percy," Jason said. "Annabeth is gone. She didn't speak to you, you didn't see her. You were dreaming. It wasn't real. I know you miss her, and I'm sorry, I really am. But you can't rescue her from the tunnels, she's not coming back. _She's dead_." Jason's words were harsher than he meant them to be. His voice was raised. Percy blinked he fumbled for words.

"You don't understand," he pleaded. His knees gave out, he grabbed the back of a chair. Jason shot to his feet to steady him. Percy sat down,

"I would know if she was dead. I would _feel_ it."

Jason's eyes stung. Percy's breathing became shallow, his brow furrowed. His heart was pounding. "No, no. This isn't real. This isn't happening," he stammered. He pulled at his hair, "she's not dead. She's not!" He reached out and grabbed Jason's arm, "please! You have to help me find her!" Percy tried to stand but fell back in his seat. Jason's stomach clenched with anger and sadness. He ground his teeth,

"No Percy! Annabeth is dead. She's dead!" His own voice broke. Percy's face pailed. Tears gathered in his eyes,

"She can't be. She can't be." He was trembling. "We had plans. We stay together it's what we do, always." Jason felt a tear slid down his face. He looked at the table in front of him. Percy sobbed, "I have to find her. I can't live without her." Jason knew there was no getting through to him. A voice spoke from the doorway,

"We better start looking then, huh?" Piper said gently. Percy looked at her his eyes vulnerable. Piper walked in, "but not tonight. Right Jason?" Jason looked at her like she was crazy, her eyes told him to play along.

"Pipers right. You need to rest first." Percy's eyes dried.

"We'll get her back," Piper's voice dripped in charm speak. Percy's face slid into a relaxed, tired expression. "Don't worry, why don't you go lie down? You must be exhausted." With Jason's help she pulled him to his feet. They helped him to his room. He relaxed into the pillows, "there you go. Just sleep." Percy drifted off. Jason dragged Piper out of the room and I to the hallway.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said.

"He was on the verge of a panic attack. Did you really want a repeat of this afternoon?"

"He thinks she's really out there Piper. Thanks to you he's never going to accept the truth."

"He never was going to to begin with. You saw it on his face Jason, he's too far down the rabbit hole. The only way to calm him down was to tell him what he wanted to hear." Piper said. Jason exhaled.

"He's delusional Piper."

"Maybe not," Piper said quietly, glancing at sleeping Percy. "Maybe she is out there somewhere."

"Do you hear yourself," Jason snapped. "He's going to waste the rest of his life looking for her. Tear himself apart, you want to help him do it?"

"I know it's my fault Annabeth's gone. If I can help him find closure, ease his pain in any way, you can bet I'm going to do it."

"This isn't your fault," Jason said softly, touching her arm.

"We have to look Jason. We have to try," she said. Looking into her eyes Jason knew there was no convincing her otherwise.

"Pipes," he started.

"She would do it for one of us. If it were Annabeth in our position she wouldn't blindly accept an answer. She wouldn't give up on any of us." Jason looked at Piper and swallowed.

"We have a mission," he said. "We can't stop now, Gaea is getting stronger everyday."

"I'll go alone if that's what it takes. Percy's not the only one who needs answers," Piper finished. jason sighed,

"There's no changing your mind is there. We're going to have to talk to the others in the morning."

Piper reached up and kissed his cheek,

"Thank you for understanding."

"Piper, be careful getting their hopes up. If you don't find what you're looking for, it's going to be more damaging than it was to begin with."

 **I want to hear your thoughts. Go ahead tear it apart, pick and poke until your heart's content. I want to get better. I want to write something that you enjoy reading. I know some of you are questioning Jason's role as bad cop. Well truth is I always pegged him as the type to turn grief into anger- like Percy, but without all the heartbreak. It will all make sense eventually ( I hope) The next chapter is already in progress so the wait shouldn't be too long. Until next time, I can never tell**


	2. Chapter 2

When Hazel woke up there was a heavy feeling in her chest. She pulled herself from her bed. The ship swayed on the water like always, yet, that wasn't what was causing her nausea. Everything felt like they were all waiting for something to explode. The air seemed heavier and the rooms around her quieter. She stood in her doorway. The hall seemed darker than usual. She gazed at the door across from her own. It seemed surreal, like at any moment Annabeth would step out, messy blond hair unbrushed, wearing her signature bead necklace. Hazel smiled, She'd probably be twisting the coral bead, she always does that when she's thinking. But the door remained closed. Hazel had the strange desire to knock. She stepped closer to it. The wood grain looped lazily down the hard surface. A lump formed in her throat, she thought she heard something on the other side. Footsteps? Or maybe her own heartbeat. She put her palm against the cold wood. Her heart paused- waiting. Sliding her downwards her fingers closed around the metal knob. About to turn her wrist, Hazel jumped at the sound of a door closing down the hall. She looked to see Frank stepping out of his room. He smiled when he saw her, Hazel noticed it didn't reach his eyes. "Good morning," he said stepping next to her. "How'd you sleep?"  
"Ok," Hazel replied. Truthfully she had barely slept at all. Together they walked up to the mess hall.

Jason was standing by the window. The sun reflected in his eyes, his face was unreadable. Leo strolled in, wiping his hands off on a filthy rag. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He was greasy and grimy, the bottom of his left sleeve was charred.  
"Hungry?" Leo asked. He pulled out an apple for himself, tossing it up in the air. He slouched into his seat.  
"Where you up all night?" Hazel asked. Leo drummed his fingers on the table,  
"Well, you know, lots to do…" He trailed off. He spun the apple on the table. "Couldn't sleep anyway."  
Jason glanced his way in understanding. Piper walked in and sat in the corner, chewing her fingernail. The silence was overwhelming. "So… what's on the agenda today?" Leo asked, trying to keep the atmosphere light.  
"We're going after her." Percy's voice startled them. Leo looked surprised,  
"We-we are?"  
"Of course we are." Percy's voice was cold. Jason exhaled resting his forehead against the glass of the window. Turning back to his friends Jason said,  
"No. We're not."  
"If you think you can stop me, Grace, you're wrong. I don't need your permission." Percy paused, eyes digging into Jason. "I'll go alone. If that's what it takes," he said.  
Jason took a deep breath, "you're right," he said. "You don't need my permission. But you might need some help." Percy looked surprised. He relaxed and for a moment it was a Percy they recognized. "We can't all go, there's still a lot to do before we reach camp." Percy nodded.  
"I'll go," Piper said. Percy's shoulders tensed. "It's the least I can do." She stepped over to stand next to Percy. He wouldn't even look at her. Piper tried hard not to let it get to her.  
"You could use someone who's good underground," Hazel spoke up.  
"Hazel you don't have to," Jason said.  
"I can help them."  
"Hazel…" Percy started, his eyes softened. "Are you sure? You have to be sure. It's not going to be easy."  
Frank took her hand, "you should think about this," he said. She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles reassuringly,  
"What's there to think about?" A weight was lifted off Percy's chest. He wasn't the best with words but he put his hand on Hazel's shoulder. She turned her golden eyes up to him, a small smile tugged at her lips.  
"How long?" Jason asked Percy.  
"Three days. One to find the nest, two to bring her back. We'll meet the ship when you stop for supplies." Jason nodded once.  
"Then you'll want to get going."

They packed quickly just the essentials. Hazel sat on her bed. She put off going upstairs, put off the goodbyes. She didn't know made her volunteer but she knew it was the right thing to do. Frank knocked once and opened her door.  
"Ready?" He asked.  
"Yeah…" Hazel trailed off. He picked up on the hesitation in her voice.  
"If you've changed your mind-"  
"No. No, I'm still going." She looked at his face. The face she trusted and cared for the most. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. He held her close. She felt so safe and warm. "It's only three days," she whispered in his ear.  
"Three days too long," he murmured. He pulled back so their foreheads were touching. "Do you really think she's out there?"  
"I want to. I want to believe she is." Frank closed his eyes,  
"Why are you doing this?" Hazel put her hands on the sides of his face. "I never knew what happened to Sammy. I Never got that chance. Having to move on, not knowing… If I can give Percy an answer, even if it's terrible and heartbreaking, at least he'll know." Frank looked into her eyes. He could see her determination, her compassion.  
"Three days," he said softly. "I'll see you in three days."

Piper walked up the stairs. Her dagger was tucked tightly in her belt. She had already said goodbye to Jason. She walked forward trying not to think about what they were about to do. Where they were about to go. She couldn't. Once on the deck, She took a second to breathe. "Piper?" She turned to see Leo. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She followed him off to the side.  
"Leo, what's wrong?" Leo's face was unusually solemn, he had a nervous energy around him.  
"Don't show Percy this," he pulled a folded piece of fabric out of his pocket, "it will just upset him." He unfolded it to reveal a stitched owl in a shimmery gray fabric. Behind it was an olive tree. The owl's eyes were a stunning gold.  
"What, is this a…" Piper trailed off gazing at the fabric. She ran her fingers over it. The stitching was crude and uneven, but it was obviously carefully made.  
"It's a burial shroud," Leo trailed off. He didn't meet her eyes.  
"Did you make this?"  
"Festus helped with the fabric shapes, the design is based on the Athena cabin. All I had to do was piece it together." He handed it to her.  
"Leo…" Piper held the fabric loosely, unsure what to think. She turned it over in her hands. On the back, written in Leo's messy scrawl was,  
Daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase, Hero

Piper's breath caught in her throat. "I can't take this," she said, eyes watering. she tried to hand it back but Leo closed her fists around the smooth material.  
"I have always had great faith in Annabeth. I will never doubt her skills. She's tougher than any of us. I'm rooting for her, I am… But If she's gone," his voice broke, "if she's not coming back, she deserves this. She deserves to be recognized." Piper looked at Leo shocked. She had never seen this side of him, this depth. They heard Hazel calling Piper's name. Time to go. Leo stepped back, "just take it. Please." He stuck his unusually still hands in his pockets and walked swiftly to the control room, shutting the door behind him.

Piper folded the burial shroud and packed it delicately in her bag. She tried to mask her face as she joined the others. Percy and Hazel were standing by the railing. Jason was there too, his face stone like. She stood quietly next to Hazel. "We're about 20 miles offshore, we can find somewhere to doc-" Jason said, Percy cut him off.  
"Not necessary." Percy raised his hand and a wave rose high above the water. He hopped over the railing and suspended in the water a few feet away from the ship. He stood on it like it was concrete. He held his hand out to Hazel, "coming?" He asked. With Jason's help she climbed over the railing, standing on the inch wide edge of the ship. Taking a deep breath she jumped toward Percy. For a second Piper was worried she wouldn't make it. Hazel landed safely on Percy's water platform. He put his arm around her, steadying her. Piper felt a wave of anxiousness wash over her. Jason turned to her. He gave her his hand so she could climb over the rail. The wind picked up making her feel very unsteady. She was standing with her heels on an inch of wood, her arms were wrapped around the railing behind her. She was facing Percy, she could feel Jason's presence behind her. She had never been a fan of heights. Piper's heart thumped. She looked down, big mistake, the water was 30 feet below turning quickly. It made her dizzy. Fear overtook her. She looked at Percy. His platform was easily 5 feet away. The wind blew again and she almost slipped.  
"I can't," she admitted. She wasn't looking forward to plummeting to the sea, going on another quest and facing those monsters again. It was all too much.  
"Piper," Jason said softly behind her. she shook her head. looking back at Percy she tried to read his face. His hair blew across his forehead. His eyes, a startling green, studied her. He held out his hand.  
"Do you trust me?" Percy asked her. Piper closed her eyes and jumped. She felt herself falling, no! She thought in panic. Then hands were on her shoulders. Piper opened her eyes. Hazel was standing in front of her, she had a goofy smile on her face.  
"Look," she whispered. Piper looked at her feet. She was standing on water. Well, more like the water was holding her up. It felt like she was standing on an inflatable water raft. She was still wobbly. Percy looked at them, Hazel wrapped her arm around his.  
"Hang on," he said. Piper grabbed onto Hazel as the wave surged forward.


	3. Chapter 3

They were moving fast. The shore was approaching rapidly. Piper felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Her eyes watered, she looked at Percy who seemed unaffected. When, finally, they reached the shore Piper's legs felt like jello. Their wave melted back into the sea. The sun was hot against their faces. Percy squinted through the tree line, "The caves should be somewhere up that way." He pointed into the dense forest. Piper cleared her throat,  
"It's about 17 miles north through the forest. The caves are at the base of those mountains." She pointed to the blurry mountain peaks in the distance. Percy regarded her coolly.  
"By all means." He stepped to the side gesturing for her to lead. She knew he was still furious with her. He didn't bother hiding it. Piper walked forward, she could feel their eyes on her. They stepped into the trees. Without the sun the air was cool and damp.

The hardest part was maneuvering on the uneven ground. Tree branches, slick leaves and viney plants slowed them down considerably. Percy followed Piper quietly. His eyes trailed along the forest floor. He tried not to let his mind wander, but if course it did. He couldn't help but think of her. He pictured her smile, he could hear her laugh. When Annabeth was truly laughing it was not cute. The side-splitting roar that erupted out of her when they were alone was something Percy would never tire of hearing. His lips twitched at the memory. "There's a spot up ahead we can rest for a bit." Piper's voice jarred Percy from his happy thoughts. His lips curled up in a grimace. He closed his fist tightly. Why did she make it back? What has she ever done to deserve this? Why was she spared? He thought. Noticing the look on Percy's face, Hazel bumped into him playfully.  
"A break sounds wonderful. Do you realize how hard it is to keep up with you two? Such long legs." Hazel tried to lighten the mood. Percy smirked at her. She could see his anger drain away.

They stopped in a small clearing. The sun cast rays of light through the canopy above. The ground was covered in a soft moss. Two logs provided seating. Piper pulled water and sandwiches out of her bag. Percy didn't accept any food. He sipped his water as the other two ate.

Finishing their lunch they started up again. Hazel could see the sun starting to set between the trees. By the time they finished setting up camp the sun had disappeared behind the horizon. The only thing fighting off the frigid cold was their small fire. Percy had dragged over a log for them to use as a bench and Hazel was finishing the shelter- a lean-to like structure with tent canvassing to keep out the wind. They huddled together on the log in front of the fire. Piper could see her breath. It had been even colder than this the night she and Annabeth found the caves. The memory made her shiver even harder. Percy was staring directly into the flames. His face was empty, unreadable. Piper had been stealing looks his way all day. She'd been careful not to catch his eye. It was clear he didn't want her here. She couldn't blame him, she was a constant reminder of what he had lost. Even so, she felt she _had_ to be there. She had to look out for him. She wouldn't let what happened to Annabeth happen ever again.

Hazel twitched, a shiver ran up the back of her neck. Without looking away from the fire Percy said, "You feel it too?" Hazel nodded quickly. She swallowed the fear that was crawling up her throat. Every once and awhile there was a tremor in the earth. Something under them was _moving_. For just a second at a time she could feel it slither beneath their feet. Then it was gone. Every time she felt it, it seemed closer to the surface. Like at any moment it would burst through the ground and swallow them whole.

Piper didn't need to ask what Percy was talking about. The cold feeling in her stomach was quite clear. She pulled at her fingers. The thought of tomorrow made her feel sick. Behind them, there was the snap of a twig. They all jumped, Percy was the first to his feet, riptide drawn. Through the faint glow of Percy's sword, their eyes strained for the danger that had to be lurking in the heavy night shadows. But there was nothing there. No monsters, or murders, a squirrel maybe. They tried to shrug it off but the paranoia continued to grow. "I'll take first watch," Percy said, perching on the log. Piper decided it was best not to argue. She and Hazel climbed into their shelter. They shared the blankets, trying to stay as warm as possible. Piper doubted she would sleep at all. Percy was watching the flames once more. He hadn't recapped his sword and that made Piper feel just safe enough to close her eyes.

Piper was woken up by the sound of something clanging off the trees. She sat up looking around her. She was in the shelter, Percy was lying on his side next to her asleep. Something had slipped into her lap when she sat up, Percy's Jacket. She was shocked, looking at sleeping Percy she noticed how peaceful he looked. He had a blanket pulled up under his chin. His hand was poking out closed around a ball point pen. The air was so cold it made piper's ears ache. She pulled Percy's jacket over her own and carefully, so she wouldn't wake him, stepped out into the early morning light.

Hazel was throwing small gems and stones away from their camp. Every once and awhile they would strike a tree, which was the sound Piper heard. Noticing she was awake Hazel turned to her with an apologetic grin. "Sorry, it's worse when I'm nervous," she explained, chucking a ruby deep into the forest. Once she was finished Hazel joined Piper on the log. Their fire was almost completely gone but with the rising sun, the air was starting to warm up.  
"No one woke me up for a watch shift last night," Piper said. Hazel looked at the embers in the fire pit, poking them lightly with a stick.  
"Percy didn't ask me to take a turn either." She dragged the stick through the soft ash. "It was a rough night. I woke up a few hours after we went to bed and he wouldn't sleep. I couldn't because of all the movement underground so I sat with him awhile. I think he was afraid to sleep. Afraid he might see her, or not see her…" Hazel trailed off. "He kept dozing off, and eventually I convinced him to at least laydown." They sat quietly and let Percy sleep, gods knows he needed it.

Percy woke up to his heart pounding. Even though it was cold a trail of sweat ran down the back of his neck. He had dreamt he was deep inside the caves, he was paralyzed and was forced to watch as the monsters took turns ripping apart his girlfriend. His stomach flopped. He tried to clear his head but the sound of her screaming… it rung in his ears. He pulled back the blanket and climbed out of the shelter. The air was brisk but not as cold as last night. The sun had risen and was casting faint rays of light through the trees. Piper and Hazel were sitting in front of the dying embers. Hazel was sipping from a bottle of water and Piper was nibbling on a granola bar. They both looked up as she stepped over to them.  
"Morning Percy," Hazel said. Percy mumbled a response and sat down next to them. His hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot. He rubbed his hands over his bare arms.  
"Oh, here," Piper said, stripping off his jacket and handing it to him. He took it but didn't put it on. "Thanks," Piper said.  
"You're welcome," Percy muttered.  
"Do you want something to eat? We have granola bars, sandwiches-" Piper was cut off but Percy shaking his head.  
"I'm not hungry."  
"Not hungry? You haven't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday. You have to eat something," Piper said. Percy chose not to respond. Piper was ready to shove something down his throat when Hazel put a hand on her arm to stop her. Piper followed her gaze to Percy's shaking hands. He was twisting his pen between his fingers, visibly trembling.

The ground shook so strongly that even Piper could feel it. Hazel jumped to her feet looking ready to crawl out of her skin. Piper's heart stopped in her chest, she felt frozen. She knew what they had to do today. Looking to Hazel and Percy she hoped one of them would make the first move. Hazel had the most disgusted look on her face as she ground a chunk of gold back into the ground from where it crept up at her feet. Percy just sat there, seemingly unaffected. He looked up at them, casually got to his feet and said, "Time to go."


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope this makes you feel something. Good or bad, either way, I hope you can connect with it the way I did**

The caves were precisely one mile uphill from their camp. Piper was counting down the steps from what she was sure would be their doom. Percy and Hazel were talking quietly, walking side by side. Piper caught a little of what they were saying. "Dreams are sometimes just dreams, right? They don't always mean something?" Percy asked Hazel. She took a minute to think before answering,

"If you're talking about the nightmare you had last night, no I don't think that meant anything other than you're scared for her." Percy looked over and caught Piper's eye. She avoided his glance and mentally scolded herself for eavesdropping.

They were over halfway there, Piper was deep in her thoughts when she heard,  
"Do you have any water?" She jumped.

"What?" She turned and Percy was looking at her.

"I said do you have any water," he repeated.

"Yeah, in my bag." She turned so he could reach into her backpack. "Grab the flashlights too, those will come in handy when we get there," she said. She could feel Percy rummaging through her bag and then he froze. Piper suddenly realizing her mistake whirled around to face him. Percy was staring at the silvery burial shroud in his hands.

"Percy you weren't supposed to see-" She stopped when his eyes turned on her.

"Why do you have this?" He asked. Piper couldn't think of anything to say. "Why did you bring this?" His tone had become very angry.

"It's not what you think,"Piper pleaded.

"Really? Because it looks like you've already decided she's gone. Is that the only reason you came? To bury her?" Percy shouted. He turned and started walking quickly away from her.

"No. Percy it's not like that," Piper said, but Percy didn't look back. She stood with her mouth hanging open. She couldn't believe what she had done. Hazel looked her way sympathetically saying,

"It's not your fault," before jogging to catch up with Percy.

When they reached the entrance to the caves they all stood looking into the never-ending darkness. Piper held out her flashlight and clicked it on. The steady beam of light barely cut through the cave shadows. Piper turned to Hazel,  
"Maybe you should go first."

"Right," Hazel said taking a step forward. She had taken out a flashlight of her own but didn't really need the light to navigate in the darkness. She could feel the curves of the walls and changes in the ground. She stopped suddenly, another step and she would have fallen through the large burrow in the ground. Piper knelled next to her. She leaned over the opening slightly,

"This is where they took Annabeth," She said. Percy stood next to her and shined his light into the opening. It didn't look very steep. One by one they slid down into the burrow.

In some places the tunnels were was large as a football field, and in other places as small as a crawl space. There was no light except for their flashlights. They started in a straight line scanning the walls for signs of Annabeth. There was a rumble from somewhere deeper in the tunnel that shook the loose dirt from the ceiling. Piper brushed it off her head. When she turned she could see Percy had stopped. He had his hand on the wall and his eyes shut tight. "Are you ok?" Piper asked. Percy took a deep, shaky breath.

"Yeah, I just need a minute." He shook his head and opened his eyes. Hazel at once remembered Percy's experience with the mud.

"Do you want to stop?" Hazel asked, knowing how much he hated being trapped underground.

"No. I'm ok."

They continued on their way after letting Percy catch his breath. Suddenly the rumbling returned, this time, it was coming right at them. Out of the darkness, a monster appeared. It was a long, slimy, snake-like creature. It didn't have eyes but a large mouth with rows and rows of teeth. If Annabeth were here she'd know what it was, Percy thought uncapping riptide. He charged the- we're going to call it a snake- with pent up rage. He slashed along its belly. The scales were tough, but not as tough as celestial bronze. A thick green substance oozed out of the gash. The snake shrieked and whipped its head around, it snapped its large jaws. Percy jumped to avoid being bitten. It turned on Hazel, who threw her dagger, piercing the roof of its mouth. It twisted smacking its body against the tunnel walls. Large chunks of rock fell above Piper.

"Piper look out!" Percy shouted. He ran over to her knocking her to the ground. He caught the slab of rock on his back, his body hunched under the weight. "Move!" He grunted. Piper scrambled out of the way. Once she was clear Percy stepped out from under the rocks. They hit the ground with a loud thud. The snake rounded its head at the noise, it lunged for Percy. He stepped out of the way at the last minute. The snake's head collided with the rocks. Percy stuck it on the side of the head with riptide, twisting the blade before removing it. The beast lifted its head to let out one last screech before falling dead.

They looked at the creature its body disappeared down the tunnel. Percy stood over it, he looked at his blade which was coated in green gunk. He made a face while sticking it into the dirt to scrape it off. Piper looked at him in complete shock. "How did you catch that?" She asked, looking at the pile of rock. Percy followed her gaze,

"I don't know," he said. Piper swallowed, if he hadn't she would be dead.

"Why?" Her question seemed to startle him.

"I don't want you dead, McLean. Where in this together, all of us." Percy's words had lifted a weight off her chest. For the first time since she returned to the ship, he didn't look at her with cold, angry eyes. He held her gaze a minute longer before saying,  
"There's bound to be more where he came from. We should keep moving."

They followed the dead serpent deeper into the tunnels. Hazel hoped she'd be able to lead them out again. The most unnerving part about being underground, aside from the giant monsters, was the fact that you couldn't tell what time it was. Day, Night, everything was just dark. They made several turns weaving through the passageways, avoiding the unstable parts. Percy shined his light on the wall, something caught his eye. He peeled a chunk of blonde, bloody hair off the damp surface. He held it tightly in his hand, "She was here," he said. Looking down they could see small drops of blood on the ground and on the walls. They followed it, the tunnel was growing more and more narrow. The smell was the worse part. Piper and Hazel were in the front Percy behind them. Piper's light fell on something large, red, and bloody. She gasped dropping her flashlight. Hazel screamed. Hazel turned away as fast as she could the image still trapped in her mind. Piper collided with Percy pushing him back the way they'd came.  
"No. Percy stop. Don't look," She pleaded. She pushed against him as hard as she could. He fought her but she stood her ground. The flashlight she had dropped was still shining on it. Over her shoulder, he saw it. There wasn't much left, a chunk of something red, the light reflected off something, bone? Percy felt sick, he stopped fighting Piper and allowed her to push him back.

They rounded a corner and froze. Percy's eyes were glazed over, he was shaking. Hazel had her hand clamped over her mouth and was visibly green. Tears streamed down Piper's face. She couldn't catch her breath. The earth seemed to rumble on all sides of them. Piper looked around she could feel the snakes coming.  
"We have to go," She said. Percy didn't move. "How do we get out? Hazel!" She shouted. Hazel looked at her wide eyed,

"That way," She said shakily pointing down a dark passage. Behind them, Piper could see the body of a snake slither past an opening in the passageway.

"Move, Move!" She shouted. Hazel took off, Piper grabbed Percy's hand and dragged her after him. He wasn't putting in any effort. Hazel slowed down to stay close to them, Piper waved her on, "Keep going." Piper turned to Percy his eyes looked past her. "We have to run. Right now Percy we have to go," Her voice was trembling with fear. She wasn't going to let one more person die in these tunnels. Something inside her broke. "Percy!" She screamed. Charmspeak flooded from her mouth, the walls around her shook. Percy snapped out of his trance, Piper grabbed his wrist and ran. They didn't have a light, the only thing they could do was follow the sound of Hazel's footsteps. The whole tunnel was shaking, dirt falling onto them. She could hear the monsters behind her, hissing and spitting. Keep going, she thought. She didn't know how far they had run or if the monsters were even still chasing them, she didn't even know if she was still following Hazel. All she knew was she wasn't going to stop until she saw daylight.

Piper has no idea how they did it. One minute they were running through the pitch black tunnels and the next they were outside. Hazel was there waiting for them. When she saw them she collapsed onto the ground, her mouth moving in silent thank you's. Piper threw herself onto the grass sobbing. Percy fell to his knees, he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't even cry. How long they stayed like that, none of them could tell. Eventually, Piper managed to pick herself up off the ground. She went over to Hazel and gently pulled the girl to her feet. "Come on," she said softly. When she walked over to Percy he was already on his feet. He had riptide clenched tightly in his hand. "We have to go meet the Argo II," she said, looking at his defeated expression. "We only have a day to get there." Percy looked at her, it was like he was staring directly into her soul.

"You know how to get there," he said. Piper didn't like his tone.

"Percy…" Piper trailed off unsure.

"I know you do, you got us here." Piper swallowed,

"Yes, I know how to get back. Should we start going?" Percy gazed past her, a strange look settling over his features.

"I'm not going," he said. Piper's eyes widened.

"What! Percy, you can't stay here." Out of his pocket, he produced Annabeth's burial shroud. Piper looked at the cloth and the blade in his hand and all at once she knew what that look on his face meant. Her heart stopped. "No," she whispered, tears flooding her eyes.

"Take Hazel and leave," he said.

"Percy, no."

"You can meet the ship tomorrow night."

"Percy, _no_."

"Tell them I'm sorry." his voice sounded far away. Piper couldn't say another word, the lump in her throat had grown too big. "Tell my family I'm sorry." Piper poured every last bit of charmspeak she had into her words ,

"Stop. Perseus Jackson, you are coming with us." He smirked at her sadly,

"Not this time, Pipes."

Hazel looked on in horror as she heard what Percy was saying. She tried to run to them but tripped over a large piece of gold. She fell onto her hands and knees, she started to push herself up when something distracted her. She felt something. Digging her hands deep in the soil she closed her eyes in concentration. Could it be? Her eyes snapped open. Yes. She looked up to see Percy raise riptide.  
"Wait," she shouted. Percy didn't stop. "Wait!" He turned to look at her. She was out of breath,  
"I felt it. I felt a heartbeat." Percy stared at her like he couldn't understand what she was saying.

"Hazel…"Piper trailed off.

"Please just come over here I'll show you. Percy, you'll be able to feel it." Percy put the burial shroud back in his pocket and walked over to her. Hazel grabbed his hand and pulled him roughly to the ground. She moved his hand pressing it hard against the ground. "See?" she asked. But the look on Percy's face said he didn't feel anything.

"Hazel I don't-" Percy started. She placed her hand on top of his, there right there. It took a minute but Percy's eyes widened. He dropped riptide and placed both hands on the ground. "What do we do?"

"Poseidon can make earthquakes right?" Hazel asked.

"I've never done anything like that. I don't think I can," Percy said.

"Percy, Hazel might be right. You can feel vibrations like she can maybe that means something," Piper said, standing next to them. " Annabeth told me about the time you made the volcano explode." Percy looked at them unsure.

"It's not very deep right here. A few feet down then it's all hollow. One good shockwave would split it right open," Hazel said. Percy closed his eyes. His brow knit in concentration the ground started to tremble and then they were falling.

When Percy got to his feet he saw something that made him stop dead. _Annabeth_. She was standing in the dusty rubble. She was covered in mud and blood. Her eyes locked onto him her face was unreadable.  
"Percy," She cried. She ran to him flinging her arms around him. Percy didn't move. His arms remained at his sides, his eyes settled on something in the distance. "Percy, oh my gods…" Annabeth mumbled into his chest. Her voice was soft and scratchy.

"How?" Percy said, his voice thick with emotion. Annabeth pulled away looking at his face. Percy wouldn't look at her, almost like he was afraid to. His brow was knit, a single tear threatened to spill from his eye. "There was a body," he said, voice cracking. Annabeth searched his face. He was cracked and threatened to crumble.

"It was a deer. The don't have eyes. They maneuver by sound and smell. I found the deer body in the tunnels and dragged it to make a fake trail. I covered myself in mud and even left hair on the walls," She explained. The tear fell from Percy's eyes.

"You died." He looked at her for a second but averted his gaze once again. Annabeth put her hand on the side of his face.

"Percy I'm right here. Look at me," she said. Tears had streaked down her face leaving clean streaks under her eyes. Percy locked his eyes on her. Something inside him shattered.  
"Annabeth," he whispered, tears falling from his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her. Annabeth could feel him shaking. He held to her like he was never going to let go again. She clung to his chest. " I thought I'd lost you," he whispered into her hair.

"Oh Seaweed brain," she said, struggling to pull him closer. "I'm not going anywhere."

 **If you got this far I'm surprised. Not many of you made it through to the end. This was my take of Romeo & Juliet with Percy and Annabeth. I really like this story and I hope you did too.  
**

 **We'll meet again someday - I can never tell**


End file.
